SPRING

PEEPER

DESCRIPTION

There’s an easy way to recognize me: I wear a dark mark in the form of an "x" on my back. I am usually beige or brown, but some individuals may be reddish or yellowish.

One can also notice my presence thanks to my call which is a short “pee-ep”, sharp and piercing, repeated several times at the rate of one whistle per second. We form such a unique choir that when there are many of us in one place our song seems continuous! It can become quite deafening however for listeners that find themselves close by. Sometimes we sing at the end of the summer and in the fall but these instances are unrelated to the breeding season.

We are very common in the Maritimes and in Québec. We can also be found in the very high northern latitudes. The destruction of our habitat through agriculture and urban sprawl is the biggest threat to our survival.

Caracteristics

dimension

Its maximum size is 3.7cm.

Habitat

Forests, fallows, cattail ponds, swamps and bogs

Diet

Small invertebrates, such as mites, gnats and ants

Did you know?

During the breeding season females tends to head toward the loudest males; other males, called "satellite males" are quieter but more cunning: they station themselves in silence near singing males and wait for the females!

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